EVOLUTIONARY STATUS OF BRIGHTEST AND YOUNGEST SOURCE IN THE ORION MOLECULAR CLOUD -3 REGION

Journal Article · Tue Oct 20 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/704/2/1459· OSTI ID:21367340

Takahashi, Satoko; Ho, Paul T. P.; Tang, Ya-Wen ^[1]; Kawabe, Ryohei; Saito, Masao ^[2]

---

1. Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)
2. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Osawa 2-21-1, Mitaka, Tokyo, 181-8588 (Japan)

The brightest continuum source in the Orion molecular cloud-3 region (OMC-3), MMS 6, was observed with the Very Large Array (VLA), the Nobeyama Millimeter Array (NMA), and the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Our data were supplemented by near- to mid-infrared archival data taken by Spitzer Space Telescope. The compact continuum source, MMS 6-main, was detected with an H{sub 2} mass of 3.0 M {sub sun} with a size of 510 AU. Despite its compact and well-condensed appearance, neither clear CO outflow, radio jet, nor infrared sources (at a wavelength shorter than 8 mum) were detected at MMS 6-main even with the present high angular resolution and high-sensitivity observations. The derived H{sub 2} column density, 2.6 x 10{sup 25} cm{sup -2}, corresponds to a visual extinction of A{sub v} approx 15, 000 mag, and the derived number density is at least two orders of magnitude higher than for the other OMC-2/3 continuum sources. The volume density profile of the source was estimated to have a power-law index of 2 or steeper down to a radius of approx450 AU. The timescale to form a protostar at the center or the timescale elapsed after its formation is estimated to be 830 to 7600 yr. This is much shorter than the typical lifetime of the Class 0/I protostars, which is approx10{sup 4}-10{sup 5} yr, suggesting that MMS 6-main is probably in either the earliest stage of the protostellar core or in the latest stage of the prestellar phase.

• OSTI ID: 21367340
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 704; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLOUDS
ELEMENTS
EVOLUTION
HYDROGEN
LIFETIME
MASS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROTOSTARS
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
TELESCOPES